Physician Assistant

Types of Degrees Physician Assistant Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many physician assistant graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	11,542
Doctor’s Degree	510
Graduate Certificate	27

What Physician Assistant Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to physician assistant were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Physician Assistant Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in physician assistant should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Skills for Physician Assistant Majors

A major in physician assistant prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Abilities for Physician Assistant Majors

Physician Assistant majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Physician Assistant Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with physician assistant:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Health Specialties Professors	25.9%	$97,370
Physician Assistants	37.4%	$108,610

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Physician Assistant?

The major attracts more women than men. About 76% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of physician assistant majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	1,242
Black or African American	408
Hispanic or Latino	1,040
White	7,768
International Students	68
Other Races/Ethnicities	1,016

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Physician Assistant, too. About 0.6% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Physician Assistant

Some careers associated with physician assistant require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

Find out what the typical degree level is for physician assistant careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	1.5%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	2.3%
Bachelor’s Degree	21.2%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	2.5%
Master’s Degree	43.0%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	7.5%
Doctoral Degree	12.5%
Post-Doctoral Training	9.6%

Online Physician Assistant Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	3	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	1	0
Associate’s Degree	4	0
Bachelor’s Degree	4	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	264	1
Post-Master’s	2	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	4	2
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	6	5
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Physician Assistant

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to physician assistant.

Major	Number of Grads
Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic)	27,986
Radiologic Technology	10,598
Surgical Technology	7,433
Respiratory Care Therapy	6,800
Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician	6,280
Medical Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiation Therapy	3,991
Athletic Training	3,255
Other Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions	1,970
Cardiovascular Technology/Technologist	1,420
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Technology	921
Electrocardiograph Technology/Technician	611
Nuclear Medical Technology/Technologist	588
Electroneurodiagnostic/Electroencephalographic Technology/Technologist	384
Polysomnography	235
Perfusion Technology/Perfusionist	183
Mammography Technician/Technology	110
Radiation Protection/Health Physics Technician	71
Gene/Genetic Therapy	41
Cardiopulmonary Technology	39
Hearing Instrument Specialist	14
Orthopedic Technology	6

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.